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Marketing Essentials

4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 19 ratings
see reviews
Ashis Mishra

This business and management course will bridge the gap between information and real world experience.

Marketing is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in management today. It is commonly used as a synonym for activities related to shopping, but it goes far beyond selling a product. In addition, many people believe they are experts in marketing, having shopped for various items all their lives and having been exposed to many advertisements.

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This business and management course will bridge the gap between information and real world experience.

Marketing is one of the most misunderstood disciplines in management today. It is commonly used as a synonym for activities related to shopping, but it goes far beyond selling a product. In addition, many people believe they are experts in marketing, having shopped for various items all their lives and having been exposed to many advertisements.

In this introductory marketing course, you will learn the theories of marketing through practice (examples and illustrations). This course will explain what marketing management is all about in the simplest of terms and lay the foundation to your pathway to excellence in the wonderful world of marketing.

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What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Basic concepts of marketing
  • Segmentation, targeting, differentiation and positioning
  • Marketing strategy
  • 4ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion

Syllabus

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Will help learners become well versed in the 4 Ps of Marketing
Covers segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning, which are core concepts in marketing
Examines the marketing strategy and its life cycle
Includes practical examples and illustrations to make marketing theories easy to understand
May benefit learners who have a foundational understanding of business concepts
Provides a solid foundation for those who want to pursue marketing management

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Reviews summary

Comprehensive basic marketing principles

According to learners, this course, 'Marketing Essentials,' from IIM Bangalore provides a solid foundation and a clear overview of essential marketing principles. Covering topics like segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the core 4 Ps, it offers a structured approach that many found easy to follow. Students particularly appreciate the use of examples that help illustrate theoretical concepts and bridge the gap towards real-world application. While largely seen as a positive introduction, some learners felt the content was too basic, especially if seeking greater depth or already possessing some marketing knowledge. Overall, it's frequently recommended for those new to the field looking for a comprehensive introduction.
Instructor explains concepts clearly and effectively.
"The instructor was very knowledgeable and seemed passionate about the subject matter, which made lectures engaging."
"Lectures were easy to understand thanks to the professor's clear delivery and explanation of concepts."
"I found the instructor's teaching style effective in conveying key marketing ideas simply and concisely."
Theory is well-illustrated with examples.
"The examples provided throughout the course really helped me understand how to apply the theory to real-world scenarios."
"I found the illustrations useful for connecting abstract marketing concepts to practical applications, which was great."
"While I always want more examples, the ones provided were helpful in bridging the gap between classroom and reality."
Well-organized modules and easy to follow.
"I found the course structure to be very logical and easy to follow week by week, making it manageable."
"The lectures were well-paced, and the content flowed smoothly from one topic to the next, aiding comprehension."
"I appreciated how the modules were broken down into bite-sized chunks, which made learning easier after work."
Excellent introduction to core marketing.
"This course provided me with a really solid foundation for someone new to marketing and wanting to understand the basics."
"The essential concepts, like the 4 Ps and market positioning, were explained clearly and built nicely upon each other."
"It gave me a comprehensive overview of marketing essentials needed for my career transition. Highly recommend for beginners."
Too basic for intermediate or experienced learners.
"As someone with some prior marketing background, I found this course to be quite basic and didn't offer much new insight."
"I feel the course could use more in-depth coverage on complex topics or advanced marketing strategies."
"It's a good introduction for complete beginners, but don't expect advanced material or deep dives here."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Marketing Essentials with these activities:
Connect with Marketing Professionals
Reach out to marketing professionals on LinkedIn or through alumni networks to seek guidance, advice, and insights on the latest industry trends.
Show steps
  • Identify marketing professionals in your field of interest.
  • Craft a personalized message introducing yourself.
  • Request a brief meeting or phone call to learn from their experiences.
Create a Study Guide
Compile your notes, assignments, and practice questions into a comprehensive study guide to facilitate your preparation for exams and assignments.
Show steps
  • Gather and organize your course materials.
  • Create outlines or summaries for each topic.
  • Include practice questions or exercises to test your understanding.
  • Review and update your study guide regularly.
Apply Marketing Segmentation Strategies
Practice applying various market segmentation strategies to real-world scenarios to enhance your understanding.
Browse courses on Customer Segmentation
Show steps
  • Identify a specific target market.
  • Identify the relevant characteristics and variables for segmentation
  • Group customers and develop a profile based on the selected characteristics
Two other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all five activities
Analyze Marketing Case Studies
Analyze real-world marketing case studies to gain insights and learn from successful and unsuccessful marketing strategies.
Browse courses on Case Study Analysis
Show steps
  • Read and understand the case study.
  • Identify the key marketing concepts and strategies used.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and identify any areas for improvement.
Learn Advanced Marketing Analytics
Seek out and follow online tutorials and workshops to gain hands-on experience with advanced marketing analytics tools and techniques.
Browse courses on Digital Marketing Analytics
Show steps
  • Identify a specific tool or technique you want to learn.
  • Find reputable online tutorials or workshops that cover the topic.
  • Follow the tutorials and complete the exercises.

Career center

Learners who complete Marketing Essentials will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Marketing Manager
As a Marketing Manager, you lead teams of professionals in the development and execution of marketing campaigns for products and services. While this course may not cover all the minutiae, this course provides a strong foundation essential to the field of marketing necessary to succeed. The section on Marketing Strategy can also help you develop the foundational skills necessary to create a successful marketing plan and the section on the 4 Ps of Marketing will provide you with an understanding of the essential elements of marketing.
See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager
Product Manager
As a Product Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring the customer's needs are being met by managing the development of a particular product. You will also be in charge of a product's profitability and its place in the market. This course may be helpful for a career in Product Management as it covers topics such as Segmentation, Targeting, Differentiation, and Positioning. This course will provide you with frameworks to organize your ideas and solutions that can lead to future success.
See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager
Brand Manager
As a Brand Manager, you will be responsible for the development and implementation of marketing strategies for a particular brand. This course provides the essential elements of what Marketing Management is and can help someone entering this field become familiar with some of the essential theories of marketing through examples and illustrations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Brand Manager
Marketing Specialist
A Marketing Specialist carries out marketing operations and often specializes in a specific area of marketing, such as digital marketing or social media marketing. This course provides a foundational understanding of marketing strategy and marketing as a whole, which could be helpful for someone who wants to specialize in a particular area of marketing.
See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Specialist
Market Researcher
As a Market Researcher, you will collect, analyze, and interpret market data. This course provides a great introduction to the field of marketing as well as the basic concepts of marketing. This course may be useful because it will help to strengthen your understanding of the topics necessary to be an effective Market Researcher.
See salaries and explore the career path for Market Researcher
Sales Manager
As a Sales Manager, you will manage a team of sales professionals and will be responsible for achieving sales targets. While this course does not cover sales, marketing is essential to sales and the knowledge gained in this course can be used to support a sales team. Additionally, this course can provide a strong basis of the fundamental theories of marketing.
See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager
Public relations manager
As a Public Relations Manager, you will be responsible for managing the public image of an organization. This course covers some of the foundational elements of marketing, which is essential to a career in Public Relations.
See salaries and explore the career path for Public relations manager
Advertising Manager
As an Advertising Manager, you are responsible for the planning, development, and execution of advertising campaigns. Understanding the 4 Ps of Marketing is critical for an Advertising Manager and this course covers those elements as well as many other key marketing concepts.
See salaries and explore the career path for Advertising Manager
Market Analyst
As a Market Analyst, you will analyze market data and trends to provide insights to businesses. The course covers how to understand customers and study market positioning, which are important skills to have as a Market Analyst. Additionally, a section of this course covers the Marketing Strategy for the Product Life Cycle, which can be very helpful when trying to analyze data on a particular product.
See salaries and explore the career path for Market Analyst
Social Media Manager
As a Social Media Manager, you will be responsible for developing and implementing social media strategies. This course may be helpful because it provides a basic understanding of marketing as a whole. This foundational knowledge can assist someone entering the field of Social Media Management.
See salaries and explore the career path for Social Media Manager
Customer Success Manager
As a Customer Success Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring that customers are satisfied with a company's products or services. This course provides a good basic understanding of the field of marketing and may be helpful to someone who wants to work with customers.
See salaries and explore the career path for Customer Success Manager
Digital Marketing Manager
As a Digital Marketing Manager, you will be responsible for planning and executing digital marketing campaigns. This course can help you gain a basic understanding of marketing as a whole. Building a foundational knowledge of marketing can be helpful for someone entering the field of digital marketing.
See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Marketing Manager
Marketing Consultant
As a Marketing Consultant, you will provide marketing advice and services to businesses. The course's section on Marketing Strategy may be helpful as this course will explain more about how marketing strategy is implemented in the real world.
See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Consultant
E-commerce Manager
As an E-commerce Manager, you will be responsible for the planning and execution of e-commerce strategies. While this course solely focuses on the basics of marketing, a basic understanding of marketing can be helpful for someone entering the field of e-commerce.
See salaries and explore the career path for E-commerce Manager
Business Development Manager
As a Business Development Manager, you will be responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities. This course may be useful because it covers a section on Market Positioning and Marketing Strategy. Understanding these concepts can help someone entering the field of Business Development.
See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Reading list

We've selected six books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Marketing Essentials.
Cover image
Marketing Management, Global Edition
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of marketing management and is considered a classic in the field. It covers all the major topics in marketing, including market research, segmentation, targeting, product development, pricing, promotion, and distribution.
Marketing Management, Global Edition
Paperback
$$$
Cover image
Digital Marketing
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of digital marketing, including all the major channels such as search engine optimization, social media marketing, and email marketing. It great book for students who want to learn about the latest trends in digital marketing.
Digital Marketing
Paperback
$$
Digital Marketing
Paperback
$$$
Digital Marketing (6th Edition)
Paperback
$$$
Cover image
Principles of Marketing
Save
Popular textbook that provides a clear and concise overview of marketing principles. It is written in a conversational style and is easy to read and understand.
Principles of Marketing (19th Edition) RENTAL...
Hardcover
$$$$
Principles of Marketing
Kindle Edition
$$$
Cover image
Lost and Founder
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of search engine optimization (SEO), including tips on how to improve your website's ranking in search results. It great book for students who want to learn how to use SEO to drive traffic to their website.
Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to...
Hardcover
$$
Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to...
Kindle Edition
$$
Cover image
Fashion & Luxury Marketing
Save
Takes a unique approach to marketing by focusing on the real people and choices that drive marketing decisions. It great book for students who want to learn about the human side of marketing.
Fashion & Luxury Marketing
Kindle Edition
$$$
Cover image
Content Inc., Second Edition: Start a Content-First...
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of content marketing, including tips on how to create engaging content, distribute it, and measure your results. It great book for students who want to learn how to use content marketing to grow their business.
Content Inc., Second Edition: Start a Content-First...
Hardcover
$$
Content Inc., Second Edition: Start a Content-First...
Kindle Edition
$$

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Course image
Rating
4.6 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
2 to 4 hours per week for 5 weeks
Level
Introductory
Via
edX
Institution
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Instructor
Ashis Mishra
Language
English
Transcripts
English हिंदी
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Will help learners become well versed in the 4 Ps of Marketing
Covers segmentation, targeting, differentiation, and positioning, which are core concepts in marketing
Examines the marketing strategy and its life cycle
Includes practical examples and illustrations to make marketing theories easy to understand
May benefit learners who have a foundational understanding of business concepts
Provides a solid foundation for those who want to pursue marketing management
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